Texas guard Myck Kabongo (12) gets around Iowa State guard Bubu Palo (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Big 12 Basketball Tournament Thursday, March 8, 2012, in Kansas City, Mo.

Texas guard Myck Kabongo (12) gets around Iowa State guard Bubu Palo (1) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game in the Big 12 Basketball Tournament Thursday, March 8, 2012, in Kansas City, Mo.

Photo: Orlin Wagner, Associated Press

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Longhorns guard J’Covan Brown started all 34 games and led Texas with 21.0 points per game this season.

Longhorns guard J’Covan Brown started all 34 games and led Texas with 21.0 points per game this season.

Photo: Tony Gutierrez, Associated Press

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Don't laugh if Brown, Kabongo leave early

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AUSTIN — Late last summer, on the day the Longhorn Network made its inaugural broadcast, Myck Kabongo attended the festivities wearing a burnt-orange T-shirt.

It was identical to the one worn by hundreds of other freshmen who'd just arrived on Texas' campus, but on him — a Longhorns basketball player widely regarded as possessing NBA potential — the words emblazoned on the chest caused a few eyes to roll.

“Class of 2015,” it read.

Kabongo might stay at UT until graduation, and he might not. In that regard, he's not unlike most of his classmates. But as he and teammate J'Covan Brown this week ponder the idea of declaring early for the NBA draft, following a long line of Longhorns underclassmen before them, the jokes write themselves.

What's the difference between a Texas state senator and a Rick Barnes' recruit? Even the bad state senators all come back to Austin for a second year.

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As of Thursday, Barnes — the coach who has taken UT to 14 consecutive NCAA tournaments and made it one of the nation's pre-eminent stopping points for future pros — said he hadn't heard from either Brown nor Kabongo. Brown issued a statement through the school saying he hadn't yet made a decision.

But after the Longhorns' season ended against Cincinnati last week, Brown made it clear he was leaning toward declaring for the draft, saying, “at the end of the day, I have a family to take care of.” Kabongo, who'd insisted the week before he planned to return for his sophomore season, declined to comment on whether he was sticking to that plan.

Neither player is a certain (or even likely) first-round pick. Brown led the Big 12 in scoring as a junior, but is short for a shooting guard and isn't a natural point guard. Kabongo led UT in assists but was turnover-prone and shot less than 40 percent from the field.

Young players with average college seasons have left UT before, though. Daniel Gibson didn't look NBA-ready in 2006, Avery Bradley didn't in 2010, and Cory Joseph didn't last year. All were drafted and signed contracts anyway, despite the snickers when they declared.

A UT basketball player walks into a sandwich shop. The guy behind the register says, “If you take this punch card and come back three more times, you'll get a free sub.” The player says, “Nice try, coach, but how about I finish this one and then weigh my options?”

It's not like the Longhorns are the only ones with these problems. Kentucky players leave early. North Carolina players leave early. Kansas players leave early. But those programs also win games deep into March.

UT, meanwhile, has had nine underclassmen taken in the last six drafts, and it has turned Barnes' team into a complete nonfactor in the postseason. After making the Sweet 16 five times from 2003-08, the Longhorns have been bounced during the tournament's first weekend four years in a row.

Next year, more heralded recruits will arrive. Maybe they'll win more, and maybe they'll stay longer. But if they don't?

The jokes will go on.

A Sooner, an Aggie and a UT basketball player are captured by the enemy and sentenced to face the firing squad. The guard asks if they have any questions. The Sooner says, “Can we have a last meal?” The Aggie says, “Can we call our families?” And the UT player says, “If we don't hire an agent, do we still have two weeks to withdraw?”